The One All Along
by LSpade
Summary: Takes place during season 10's Homecoming. What if the barn scene didn't happen like it did? What if there was a slight glitch in Clois's relationship? Find out what happens right after their "I love you's." Don't worry. It's very much Clois.


**Alright, you Clois fans. This is my first attempt at a Smallville fanfic. I hope I did the characters justice and the plotline as well. I've become recently addicted to this TV series and I thought I'd try my hand at this.**

**This takes place at the end of season ten's Homecoming. The beginning's verbatim, but then I put my own little twist on it. Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Smallville. If I did, Lois would've started in season one and her relationship with Clark would have begun sooner.**

She walked into the dimly lit barn, only illuminated by the moonlight. She looked around in slight confusion. Clark did tell her to meet him in the barn, didn't he? Well, he was rushing his words and dancing anxiously around the kitchen avoiding her gaze. He was also wearing a dark blue dress shirt and slacks, which was unusual for a casual night at home. However, in the poor lighting, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Clark?" she called out, walking further into the barn.

Suddenly, a disco ball cascaded its lights throughout the barn and a soft melody floated through the air. Lois looked up in surprise, smiling in delight. What was going on? Clark emerged from the shadows and her gaze landed on him. He was smiling that adorable, boyish smile that secretly melted her heart. He took a few steps toward her.

"Not that I'm an interior designer, but one of these things doesn't exactly go with the other," she joked softly, her smile reaching her eyes. She wouldn't admit it, but the way he was looking at her made her nervous. If one man could make her lose all inhibition, it was Clark Kent.

He took a few more steps, his smile never faltering. "I'm sorry we missed our dance."

Her heartbeat raced as she nervously wrung her fingers together. "You don't need to worry about me, Clark," she said seriously. "If anybody understands deadlines and urgent things, it's me."

He stood directly under the disco ball. "I'm not worried about you. I missed you."

Sheer surprise clouded over her features as an embarrassed smile graced her lips. "Oh." Her eyebrows shot up and she silently cursed herself for being so transparent to him. "Well, I-I don't know. Neither of us are primed for dancing with the stars and speaking strictly as friends, I don't know if this is such a good idea." She slowly walked towards him, her strong demeanor fading away under his gaze.

"Lois," he said, his voice taking on a slightly confident tone. "Get over here."

She hesitated for a second to move any further. Her heart jumped into her throat, making it difficult to speak. "I'm not sure how we're going to make this work without the jukebox nostalgia and the balloons and-"

"Lois," he tried again. She was now standing directly in front of him, his eyes smoldering, boring right into her.

She looked up nervously. "Shut up?" He nodded, narrowing his eyes at her. She smiled, chuckling out of habit. "Right. Shut up." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

His arms came around her waist and pulled her slightly closer. She held her breath as they began to sway to the music. Being with him was a feeling she wasn't use to. Around everyone else, she could be this strong, independent woman, but when it came to the man in front of her, she couldn't help but display her feminine side; the side that needed him so unconditionally.

They smiled at each other, getting into sync with the music when he took one wrong step and, "Ow!" Lois pulled back.

Clark's face was covered in embarrassment for stepping on her foot. "Sorry," he quickly apologized.

She tried to laugh it off. "Hey I'm the one who put my feet under yours, it's…"

"I…but, I-" he interrupted.

"It's fine," she shook her head, looking anywhere but at him.

"Let's just try this," he said, pulling her back to him.

Her breath hitched as she slowly placed her feet on his and her arms were around his neck again. She smiled up at him nervously as they began to dance again, this time letting him take the lead. Their gazes remained on each other as their hearts pounded in their chests. Their smiles giving away the somewhat uneasiness of such an intimate moment.

But all of a sudden, Clark's face grows serious. He looked into her eyes, hoping to convey his emotions. He didn't even hesitate. "I love you."

Lois swore her heart stopped as it erupted into pure happiness. Her smile grew wider as her voice grew shaky. "I love you, too."

He grinned and pulled her closer as they continued to dance. Lois slowly placed her head on his shoulder as his arms secured around her waist. They finally said it. They were on the same page about where their relationship stood. Overwhelming joy erupted from Lois and it mirrored Clark's own exuberance. He slowly turned his head to look at her. She raised her head from his shoulder and looked expectantly at him, silently asking him to kiss her. His head gradually descended, moving toward hers. She was about to meet him halfway when they heard a clash outside of the barn. Lois pulled away from him and Clark's arms dropped from her waist. They both looked over at the door to see a petite brunette materialize from the blackened night.

Lois's heart stopped and her stomach filled with ice as she stared at the visitor.

"Lana…" The name left Clark's lips in blatant surprise and a hint of something else. Love, maybe?

_Oh, God, please say no…_

"Hi, Clark," Lana spoke softly, taking a few steps further into the barn. Instinctively, Clark took a few steps back. Lana's gaze fell to the floor. "The kryptonite suit is gone. I spent the last two years in labs trying to get rid of it." She looked back up at him.

"So, your powers?" he asked.

"Gone as well," Lana replied. "Look, Clark. The whole Lex thing…You know the story there. I just…think we have a lot to talk about."

Clark stared at her, sorrow filling his heart. He never expected to see her again. However, he couldn't help the love that built up in him from looking at Lana; his first love. It was always there, but he tried so very hard to suppress it since they never really had a chance to say goodbye.

Lois looked between the two and her heart broke. The love on both of their faces was too apparent to hide. She knew she could never measure up to Lana, but she hoped she could ease Clark's pain and maybe create a new love. What a good job she's done so far considering the look on his face. He hadn't looked this sad in years. This was it. It was over. Lana was back and Lois would be pushed aside. Before the tears she knew she would let spill over form, she had to leave.

"You know what?" she said, gesturing with her hands. "I can see you two have a lot to figure out, so I'm just going to give you some privacy."

Lana and Clark looked over at her as she spoke. Lois forced a smile and nodded before turning to leave. "Lois," he called out.

"It's okay, Clark," she turned back to look at him, still wearing the painted smile, still holding back her tears. "You obviously have more important things to do than try to explain things to me. Besides, I already know. Lana?" The shorter brunette looked over at her. "Be good to him."

With that, she left the barn, breaking into a run once she was cloaked in the darkness of the night. She could see the glow of the porch light and sprinted towards it. She climbed up the steps and barged in the front door. With her back against it, the tears finally cascaded down her cheeks. She could only imagine what was going on in the barn. Were Lana and Clark talking? Laughing? Kissing? The last thought brought more tears to her eyes. She'd lost him…again.

(((o)))

"So, how have you been?" Lana asked, somewhat nervously.

"Great. Really great actually," he smiled. "My job at the Planet is going great and then my blur duties are a handful as always, but I found a way to deal with them."

"That's really, really great," she smiled, taking a step forward.

"Lana…" Clark started, the smile leaving his lips. "Why are you here? I mean, why did you come back?"

She stared at him. "I…Well, after the way we left things the last time we saw each other, I figured we needed to finally set things straight."

"What do you mean? To say goodbye?"

Lana looked away, rather pained. "We don't have to say goodbye," she whispered.

He took a step toward her, now standing face to face with her. He slowly - hesitantly - raised his hand to cup her cheek. "Lana, there was a reason we could never make it work. We just wanted different things. I thought that my love for you would be enough, but it wasn't…it's not."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she refused to meet his gaze. She leaned into his touch. "We could always try again. We never let anything stop us from trying."

"We've tried enough times to know that we aren't meant for each other. We're too much alike to play off each other. It's different now. I know that I'll always love you, but it's too late for us."

His heart ached to see the tears fall down her cheeks. As strong as he was, he could never bear to see someone in pain - physically or emotionally. It took her a while, but she finally composed herself enough to look him in the eye. "Too late. Too late to receive the kind of love you give to her, right?"

Clark sighed lightly. "I'm sorry."

She managed to smile weakly. "I always knew there was a connection between the two of you. It was only a matter of time. I had a feeling when I came here that you guys were in the middle of something. I only hoped you didn't move on."

"You told me to move on," he said quietly.

"I want you to. I guess there was a part of me that thought, maybe…you would still hold out for me," she said.

"There is someone out there that will treat you right. Someone who will make you feel unbelievable happiness. I know it. We had our moment, but now it's time to move on completely. Lois and I…we just fit. And I appreciate you coming all the way out here to see me. Now, we finally found closure."

She smiled through her tears. Raising a hand to his chest, she closed the distance between them. "I will always love you, Clark. More than you will ever know." She placed a light kiss on his lips, then without another word, left the barn and walked out of his life for the last time.

Clark sighed heavily, rubbing his face in his hands. This was not how he planned to spend his night. All he wanted to do was get Lois back. He froze.

Lois.

Is she still even here? If he read what was in her eyes properly, then she would probably be leaving…because she thought he wanted Lana.

Clark's jaw clenched. How was he going to fix this? Before he left the barn, he sped up to the loft and retrieved something from his trunk.

(((o)))

Lois knew she was too strong to be sitting against the front door crying over a guy. But this wasn't just any guy. This was Clark. Her Smallville. No one would ever have her heart again because he had stolen it. Truth be told, she didn't want it back. Realizing she'd spent too much time wallowing in her sorrows, she unsteadily stood up and went upstairs to the bathroom. Berating herself for crying, she rinsed her face off and redid her make up. Good thing she left a few things at the farmhouse, or she'd have to make an indecent exit. After checking that she looked good enough to run to Oliver's penthouse, she left the bathroom and descended the stairs, hoping to get away before Clark came back. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, Clark came in through the back door. She looked at him with feigned strength, but he could see right through her wall, right into her heart. She was in pain.

"Lois," he started.

"Hey, Smallville, it's cool," she waved him off with a smile, going into one of her verbal marathons. She didn't even realize that he was making his way to her. "I understand. I'm just going over to Oliver's for the night. You know, with Chloe not being here and all and I don't really have anywhere else to go and it'd just be weird for me to stay here while you and Lana-"

"There is no me and Lana," he interrupted her. Now he was standing directly in front of her. He could hear her heart rate increase as he neared her, reveling in the fact that he could render her breathless.

She stared at his chest to avoid his eyes. "Sure there's not. Look, Clark, you don't have to lie to me. It's really okay. You two have so much history and let's face it, I could never be Lana," she rambled, taking a step back from him.

Clark wouldn't allow the distance and reached for her, pulling her by the waist so that she was flush against him. Catching her off balance, she gasped lightly and her hands grabbed onto his biceps for stability. "I never asked you to be Lana."

"You don't have to. You never look at me the way you look at her," she said, still avoiding his eyes.

"Then you don't notice the way I look at you. Maybe it's because you don't want to see it," he said. That got her to look up at him with teary eyes, confusion setting in. "You're trying to push me away because you're afraid of getting hurt. I can see it in your eyes. You're worried that I'm trying to replace Lana with you."

She looked away at that statement. "That's not true."

"Then, why won't you look at me? Why were you going to leave?"

"Because you still love her!" she blurted out, her eyes looking up at him again. "The moment she stepped into the barn, you were mesmerized, just like always. I could see it in your eyes, you still love her."

"I will always love her, Lois," he said. "But can you honestly tell me that you think I love her more than I love you?"

"Oh, come on. It was easy to say you love me when you thought she was out of your life forever. But now that she's back, I'll be pushed aside again. That's how it is."

Clark's forehead creased. "That's not true."

"Yes, it is," she said vehemently. "I know how you feel about her."

"Felt, Lois. Past tense. She and I had a thing once, but it's over now. Yes, we were good together, but she made me realize that all I needed was you. Lana and I were too incompatible. You are so different than me and that's what makes us work. We make a great team. You know that," he explained, running a hand along her cheek.

Lois shook her head and pulled out of his arms. "All I want to know is that when we're together and we get even more serious, will you still be thinking about the what-ifs?"

Clark shook his head. "I don't think about what-ifs anymore, Lois. I don't need to because you are everything to me. I've never been happier. I told Lana exactly what I'm telling you right now. She understands that it wasn't meant to be and that my heart belongs to someone else. That's why she is gone and I am here…with you. You were the one all along."

Lois stood still, frozen by his declaration. She narrowed her eyes at him. "If you're trying to make me cry, Smallville, let me stop you right now."

He grinned widely and pulled her back to him, capturing her lips with his. One hand clasped the back of her head to hold her in place while the other splayed across her back, keeping her pressed against him. Lois's hands held his waist for a moment before sliding to his back as their kiss increased with passion. He gently nudged her backwards toward the kitchen island where he propped her up on the countertop all the while never breaking the kiss. His hands roamed around her hips and thighs as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her hands fisted in his hair, pulling him as close as possible. The intimacy of the moment was shattered when her phone began to ring. She pulled away and looked at him through hazed eyes. Clark sighed heavily and one hand slid up her thigh to her butt where he pulled the shrilling phone out of her back pocket.

"Déjà vu, huh?" Lois smirked as she took the phone from him. "Privacy?"

"Pretend I'm not here," he said, leaning into her as his eyes fell to her slightly swollen lips.

"You know I can't do that," she spoke, her voice just above a whisper.

"Too bad," he whispered back as his lips made contact with her jaw.

"Come on, Clark. It's Oliver," she breathed, her eyes starting to close.

"Then I'm really not letting you answer it," he mumbled against her neck, grabbing onto her hips and pulling her even closer.

The phone stopped ringing and Lois tossed it onto the counter behind her before her hands returned to his hair. "What if it was important?"

Clark moved back from assaulting her neck to look at her. "If it's important, he'll call again. Until then, there's something I need to show you." He pulled out a bracelet from his pocket and presented it to Lois.

She stared at it intently. The bracelet had a band made of thickly intertwined metal and a large turquoise jewel in the center. It was beautiful, actually. "Umm…what's this?" she asked, taking it from him to further inspect it.

"The oral history of an ancient tribe, called the Kawatche people, begins with a story of Naman; a man from the stars. He came to Earth five hundred years ago and this bracelet," He tapped the turquoise jewel. "belonged to his soul mate."

Soul mate. Wait… "So, why do you have it?" she asked, fingering the jewel.

"It was given to me a long time ago," he answered.

"Someone gave you a bracelet?"

Clark chuckled. "She said that I would find my soul mate someday and I would give her this bracelet." He took it from her hands and lifted her wrist, sliding the bracelet on.

"Oh, Clark," she said, staring down at her wrist, now clad in ancient jewelry. "That's really sweet of you, but-"

"But nothing," he said. He lifted her chin so her eyes were looking into his. "You're my soul mate, Lois."

She smiled brightly, her eyes brimming with tears. She clasped her hand around the nape of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss, tightening her legs around his waist and pulling him closer. Clark's hands slid up her thighs to her waist, keeping her pressed against him as he returned kiss after kiss.

Yes, they were _finally_ on the same page about where their relationship stood. One couldn't fully function without the other…because she was the one he needed and he was the one she needed.

**Whew! First story down. Review and tell me what you think. Who knows, maybe I'll write more. Push the button. Just do it.**


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